Ok.  I owe my regular readers an explanation.  Apparently, there are more than two of them (as I originally suspected).  Can you believe that?!  I’ve been getting worried emails, even concerned phone calls.  I’m really flattered and am glad that they miss me.  The feeling is mutual, I assure you!

I’ve been taking a hiatus from blogging and it’s likely to be even longer… much longer.  At first it started out with some changes in the blogging community that made me restructure my blogging methods… then I started going to court more often with more clients… then it was my addiction to the “Twilight” four-book series by Stephenie Meyer, which I read within a week… and from there I felt inspired to finally do something I’ve talked about doing since I was young–write a novel.

So, that’s what I’m devoting my time to.  I’m taking my own advice about following your dreams, making yourself a priority, doing what you love to do, never giving up, being a doer and not a talker, etc.

Although in the early stages, the project is not without its challenges.  This is my first REAL endeavor in writing fiction.  I’m really scared and I feel stupid.  I’m scared that it won’t be good and people won’t like it.  I’m scared that people won’t even want to read it.  I’m scared that I’ll get distracted before I complete it and just give up altogether.  I’m scared that I won’t know how to get it published even if I do finish it.  I’m scared for the rejection letters from publishers that I know is a common part of the writing business.  AND I’m scared for my parents and other people who may be offended by its content to actually read it.  BUT I can’t let fear cripple me (another piece of advice I dole out often).  Success often comes from taking risks.

So, there you have it.  I cut all my hair off, started wearing my pre-pregnancy clothes (that I can finally fit again–Whohoo!), and started to fulfill a dream.  My husband, Danny, is very supportive and is helping me with character development right now.  My friend, Tasha, is also giving input and allowing me to bounce ideas off her.  My daughter, Dasha, is enjoying “Sesame Street” videos a little more often now and appears to really love that.  I’ll keep you posted periodically.

I also update my Movie Connoisseur blog with movie reviews as often as I can.

Ok.  It’s blog award time… and you know how much I love these.  Stephanie at Ask Me Anything, passed on the “Honest Scrap Award”.

“This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog’s content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant.”

Who doesn’t like to be called brilliant?    Thanks, Stephanie.

So, I’m supposed to tell 10 honest things about myself and pass it on to other brilliant bloggers.  I will try not to repeat previously mentioned things about myself:

1.  My love for reality shows, sparked me to write my own reality game show.  I registered it with the Library of Congress last year and have been working with my former Entertainment Law Professor to promote it.

2.  I have 5-10 more pounds to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

3.  I always wanted to travel, but as of yet, I’ve never been out of the country. 

4.  In fact, my first flight was at 26-years-old.  I road down to Florida with a friend who needed a traveling companion and I flew back to my home in North Carolina.  Don’t laugh– My dad’s first flight was last year (at 55-years-old) when he traveled here, to Texas, for my daughter’s dedication service.

5.  I’ve been watching a lot of foreign subtitled films to beef up my French and Spanish vocabularies.  You can find some of those upcoming movie reviews on my new blog Movie Connoisseur.

6.   I had an ultrasound performed to determine whether my fibroid tumors were blocking my cervix only to find out that I had none.  I have to go back for a repeat ultrasound to determine whether the ovarian cyst has ruptured instead.  Geez…

7.  Danny has me drinking Monavie, an acai berry juice, daily.  It’s supposed to be a powerfully potent anti-oxidant.  All I know, it’s the newest fad on the market and it’s too freaking expensive… It better work.

8.  We haven’t taken professional family photos since January of last year.  That’s sad.  I’m dragging my family to the studio this weekend!

9.  I like Adam Lambert from American Idol so much, I had a dream about him last night.    He was… uh… singing.

10.  I’m not the greatest cook, but I can really throw down on some meat–chicken, pork chops, steak, turkey… you name it.  I’ve discovered the secret– cook it to death. That’s my secret.  I cook meat until there’s no bone left!

Was that honest enough for you?  Too much information, maybe?  Anywho…

That was the easy part.  The hard part is narrowing the pass-along list down to just a FEW brilliant blogs.

There’s no obligation, but if you’d like to accept this award, I’d like to give it to you:

A Poet’s View

Bad Gal’s Radio

Happily Ever After Soulmates

Dad to Two

My Junk Drawer

It’s my pleasure to participate in Music Monday. Today, I’m featuring Shei Atkins, a neo-gospel singer, who also happens to be the praise and worship leader at our church.

Admittedly, I have not been a fan of gospel music in the past. The quality was usually not up-to-par, the music was old-fashioned and dull, OR the music was so close to secular, with a little sprinkle of spirituality, I may as well have just listened to secular music.

Well, that’s not the way it is with Shei’s music. Her music is uplifting… uptempo… based on spiritual principles… modern and original… and of good vocal and production quality.  I have included a few of her tunes from youtube.com for your listening pleasure.  So give our local talent a listen:

“Temptation” can be found on Shei’s “Girl Talk” album.  The song is about a single woman’s struggle to maintain her life of chastity after being tempted by her flesh.  The woman rises above her desires by focusing on God.

 ”Crying Out” is also featured on the “Girl Talk” album.  It is about a forced incestuous experience that a young girl had to go through.  She cried out to God from the pain and learned how to be free from not only the pain, but the guilt and shame.

Shei may be the beautiful and elegant face with the powerful voice and heartfelt message, but her husband, “Drathoven” is the musical genius behind her and founder of Drathoven Music Group (DMG, Inc.).  Together, they are a force to be reckoned with! 

(No, I’m not getting paid for this review.)

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

February was weird… and short.  I can’t believe it’s March already.  I skipped blogging quite a few days and I got off my commenting routine.  I just felt a little withdrawn.  But, it’s March.  A new month.  I’m optimistic… even though I already skipped blogging on March 1st.

It’s proper in the blogging community to begin by thanking my Entrecard top droppers.  I’m so glad I got the tip from a few bloggers to click on the RSS feed button next to the Entrecard top dropper list.  The list I’m going to post now is more comprehensive than just the top 10.  Thank you to everyone who takes the time to drop by–even more so, to those who leave comments!!!

Top Entrecard Droppers for February:

For Your Health
Common sense approach for better health and safety. Tips and ideas for a healthier and safer you and your family.
Not Your Ordinary History
Our history is every human history; a black and gory business, with more scoundrels than wise men at the lead, and more louts than both put together to cheer and follow. ~Philip Wylie, Generation of Vipers
MakesYouLaugh
If you find yourself smiling, giggling, or with exuberant laughter, then this blog accomplished what it was intended for. Here you will find many pleasures, such as jokes, pictures, videos etc. Hope you will enjoy your visit here.
Guilty Pleasures
The things you enjoy in your life: little secrets of cuisine, a sparkle of glam, a dash of culture. It’s about you and your hidden desires, about the bazaar of human pleasures, seen as more or less guilty.
Tech-Blog
My tech hobbies
Computer Aid
Interesting PC problems encountered by a Computer Tech. Plus some other stuff
Parental Instincts
Parenting tips and information from the father of four.
Entreblogger
MMO blog
Lola’s Diner
At Lola’s Diner we’ll be sharing recipes and sharing conversation across a virtual lunch counter. Topics will be varied and can include current events, politics, parenting, mental health, and glbt topics.–This blogger was also kind enough to bestow the “Marie Antoinette Award” on my blog on Feb. 28th.

Prove Me Wrong
Proving me wrong does not make me less intelligent or smart…But in so doing, my world will be a lot easier to understand and I’d be able to share to the rest of the world everyone’s wisdom…Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
EzGreatLife
This site is about life, family and getting fit, both physically and financially. Discussing any and all aspects of attaining a great life.
Scandinavian Ways - Winesworlds blog
Winesworld is a friendly wine guide for amateurs, by amateurs. We will blog about travel in Scandinavia, food & wine and other Scandinavian ways of doing things.
Videos 4 U
The only online video list you will ever need.
A Grateful Heart
A collection of thoughts, wits, challenges, experiences,inspirations as an observer of life- sharing discoveries and the value of taking time to know myself in each and every day.
Crotchety Old Man
Rants against man and nature, often political, usually funny
Rocket Scientist
I’m an engineer by accident. Since my field of choice tends to be science fiction and fantasy, I’m also interested in psychic power, dragons and faeries, magic, tarot, well, everything.–Stephanie also happens to be my top commenter.  I feel as if I know her personally.
BeadedTail
Antics of two cats and a dog!  Plus, we make jewelry for animal lovers with proceeds benefiting animal charities!  We’re making tails wag one bead at a time!
The Way I See It
My thoughts, opinions and personal observations on a wide variety of subjects, sometimes mixed with humor and including travel, retirement, opinion, politics, child sponsorship with Children International and life experiences. News and views from my perspective.
Big Boys Have Toys Too
A sports minded father of 2 who loves to write about anything that interests men and women.
Positive men
Being positive in all aspects of our lives can bring wonder to ourselves and others.
Life’s A Pizza Pie
Life definitely is very much like a pizza pie. It has toppings that could make it delicious or distasteful. But whatever the toppings may be, we make our lives. It’s us who make our destiny and we can control it.
Happy Moments.. Happy Thoughts!
Blog about family, health, fashion, funny pictures and video, travel, entertainment
Losing Weight Intentionally
Losing Weight Intentionally
Quantum Indonesia Translogistic
about freight forwarding, transportation, export, import, cpo, coffee, sea transportation, air transportation, financial news
My so-called world
about personal outlook at work, family and daily life.

Ok.  Like I said a million times–I’m behind on posting these blog awards.  I’m sorry.   There were some other posts I was trying to get out of the way first… and, well… you know how it goes.  Don’t hold it against me.  Better late than never, right?

Because I want these bloggers to know that I take their effort seriously and am honored for the recognition and link-love, I am dedicating this post to them.  Please visit their sites when you have a moment:

12-17-08, Janajera from WriterWAHM presented me with the Lemonade Award.

1-5-09, Kara from FrugalAngel presented me with The Noblesse Oblige Award.

1-5-09, Kim from Life With Kim presented me with the Lemonade Award.

1-11-09, Caregivingdaughter presented me with the Proximidade Award.

1-17-09,  Yanjiaren from Greennotmean presented me with the Lemonade Award.

1-28-09, Windmill from D Fool on the Hill presented me with the Passionate Blogger Award.

I am very grateful, and hope this makes up for my neglect.

Instead of keeping the rules and passing the awards to specific bloggers (I love so many of them and have probably already passed on awards to the same ones too many times), I’d rather extend the invitation to the bloggers mentioned above to add a comment about their blogs.  Tell my readers (all 2 of them) what you want people to know about your blogs in the comment section.

I hope you will accept this free publicity olive branch.

If I missed anyone, please forgive my oversight.  I tried to go through all my comments to find your messages.  If I left you off, leave me a message and I will add it promptly.  Thanks!

This is my 100th blog post!!!

 As I mentioned several times within the last few months, I really ENJOY writing about marriage and family.  This blog has provided an outlet for me to connect with others and share of myself.  It has also allowed me to learn from reader comments and other blogs that I visit daily.  I have gained more than I ever imagined from doing  something I love to do–How cool is that!

Blogging Tips I’ve Picked Up Along The Way:

1.  One of the most effective tools I’ve had to generate traffic is Entrecard.  Because I appreciate the visits and comments I receive from Entrecard bloggers, I try to return all drops.  In fact, I drop the maximum 300 daily (except that one day I actually forgot).  My husband helps me do this, especially during the times that I want to devote to returning comments.

2.  I return comments.  I try to make sure that whoever leaves a comment on my blog (provided they have a blog), that I leave a comment on their blog.  I also try to respond with a follow-up comment on my own blog to whoever leaves a comment.  Most of the time, this may be a group response though, depending on how time permits.

3.  I link other blogs to my page that I enjoy and check as often as possible OR because they have linked me to their page.  So, I return link-love.  This is also true of those who post my button on their page.

4.  I’ve tried to generate traffic by other means, as well.  I’ve recently started to post my link to my facebook and myspace pages, but I’m not so sure anyone cares.  I may pick up about three readers per day that way.  I have a link in my email and I sometimes “buzz up” my post on yahoo.  I recently learned my google page rank is 2, which is supposed to be good.  I’m only averaging around 250 visitors a day, so I know there’s more that can be done.

5.  Sometimes I participate in blog contests (never originated one myself, although I’m helping to sponsor others).  Sometimes I participate in award passing.  I make sure to thank those who think enough of my blog to pass the award on.  Sometimes, it will take me a minute to actually continue it on and I usually try to do a mass posting, when I do.

6.  I try to make sure each post fits within marriage and family in some way and I try to mix up my style between humorous story, serious inspiration, personal thoughts, reviews, etc.  My regular readers should have an idea of what tone to expect from me… always respectful.  I haven’t really done many controversial topics yet (unless you include my unwavering support of President Obama), but I will.

7.  I try to have a new post daily.

So, that’s what I’ve developed from my short time of blogging.  Now, it’s EVALUATION TIME.  I’d like to make the next 100 posts even better.

Now, what I want to know is, what do I need to do to make this blog better?

What would you like to read about from my perspective?

I am open to any serious critiques and reviews.  What do you like or don’t you like from this blog?

As always–THANK YOU FOR READING AND COMMENTING!!!

Well, today I’m featuring a poem my husband wrote for the same competition three years later…and won.  I was and am so proud of him.  Thankfully, this is one of his cleaner poems that I can actually share with you because before I met him, he was busy writing about women and… well, nevermind.

He said he thinks my poem was too long and that was a big setback for the competition.  He also wanted me to let you know that he wrote this poem in five minutes.  Cocky, isn’t he?  Please enjoy…

 “Coming Together”

 Brothers and sisters, please lend me your ear,

I want to address the issues in our community that seem to get worse with the passing of each year,

Drugs, violence and poverty just to name a few,

Behaviors that although seem bad are nothing new,

They stem from hundreds of years of hate, jealousy, and a lack of self-pride,

And we tend to turn our backs on each other, when our arms need to stay opened wide,

Our small differences have kept us so far apart,

And used against us to keep every other emotion, but love in our hearts,

While we are a blessed group of people and able to adapt with variations in our life,

We shouldn’t use them against each other to cause one another strife,

Claiming to be from the East and West Coast, the Caribbean and the Motherland,

Using these differences to the point were some of us have began to keep guns in our hands,

Being divided is how we have progressed to our present state,

Both slavery and colonization are the result of self-hate,

Small difference used to divide our people into controllable groups is where our problems stem,

Where our people can’t get along with someone who looks just like them,

Think of how our community would change if instead of being critical of our brother,

We would embrace the difference and come together to support one another,

There would have been a different story after Katrina hit New Orleans,

If all the children were instructed to embrace the evacuees instead of treating them so mean,

And why did they pick on those children from New Orleans, because it wasn’t due to color,

It was just the small differences the children found amongst one another,

So lets make a change and not result to childish ways,

And ensure that our future outshines the our past in the most recent days,

Lets learn to look beyond the minor differences to the common thread we have together,

We have a past that stretches to the beginning of mankind and we continue to influence the world wherever…

We decide to make our home, whether it be Houston, New Orleans, East, or West Coast,

Coming together is the only way for us all to move forward, and that’s what matters the most.

April 16, 2007

I spent most of the day trying to add the “Grab My Button” function to my blog… and, as you can see, it’s still not there.  Kara, The Frugal Angel-Guided Psychic , wanted to add my widget to her page… and I certainly would like that.  She patiently waited for me to continue to screw it up all day.  Nicole, at Juicy Alligator , tried to help me, but I still couldn’t seem to get it to work.

This is after the fiasco of trying for waaaay too many hours yesterday to get the poll up on my site.  That never worked either.  (Can you say “Loser”?)

I was feeling pretty good though about my walk at the park… the pork chops at dinner turned out well… I stayed under 1200 calories today… our washer and dryer were delivered after my in-laws gave a monetary gift towards the purchase… and then, Dasha decided to do this:

She either thought the green peas were good enough to rub on like lotion or so bad they should be smeared around until they disappeared.

Either way, she definitely had fun at dinner.  The lil’ Picasso decided green peas would be good as hair jam too.

By this point, I just said “Whatever”.  And, then it happened…

I got her bath water ready.  My husband went into the study.  Dasha followed him.  When I went to get her, she had a fit.  So, I said, “Whatever.  I have things to do, like that 2-week old pile of laundry.  You can stay in here until I’m done loading the clothes.”  She seemed content.

I bleached our new-to-us-but-used washer, loaded the clothes, and went to go get Dasha.  As I turned the corner, I saw she was already in the tub, splashing happily.  I thought, “Well, that was nice of Danny to go ahead and give her a…  OMG!!!  Dasha is in the tub by herself!  Where is Danny???”

He was still in the study.  He thought when he heard Dasha splashing around, I was giving her a bath.  Oh, boy.  We both failed miserably tonight.  It was my fault for leaving the “attractive nuisance” and his for assuming she was with me.

I’m so glad this story ends on a good note.  I finished cleaning the oblivious child, thanked God she was ok, told Danny we need a better communication/ vigilance system around here, and put her butt to bed.

I hope to have a better day in technology and parenting tomorrow.  Good night.

I’ve been tagged again.  This time, Stephanie , made her own rules:

“Write six things most people don’t know about one of your specialties.  This could be hobbies or professions or whatever.”

I haven’t been passing these tags on since I run in to a lot of bloggers who prefer not to be tagged or “awarded”, but as Stephanie said–there’s no obligation.  I’m supposed to pass this on to 6 blogs, but I want to add more.  There are a few bloggers that I’m interested in learning more from, so I’m going to pass this on to them.  If there’s anyone else interested, I encourage you to play along.

Matt Speaks

The Fitness Diva

Juicy Alligator

Small Town Mommy

Lilly’s Life

Stacy’s Random Thoughts

Frugal Angel-Guided Psychic

Windmill on the Hill

Life, Marriage, and Kids

Signe Says

Now, for the 6 Things People Don’t Know About Practicing Law:

1. Just because we went through three (or four, for part-timers) years of law school, passed the MPRE (ethics exam), and passed several days of the state bar (2.5 here in Texas) doesn’t mean we know everything there is to know about the law.  No, we can’t answer all your legal questions off the top of our heads.  We learned how to THINK like a lawyer by analyzing and applying rules of law.  We also learned how to find answers to legal questions through research.  There are waaaaay too many laws and they change waaaaay too much for us to know them all.  When we graduate from law school, we earn our ticket to sit for the bar.  Once we pass the ethics exam and the bar, we earn our ticket to PRACTICE law—heavy emphasis on practice.  By completing all these steps, we have shown the bar examiners that we are competent enough to spot the important issues in a case, apply the rules of law to the facts, make intelligible inferences from previous court cases, know how to research and network to find solutions, can write a decent memorandum or brief, and that we can do these things ethically… or that we are really good at fooling the bar examiners in to thinking so.
2. We have to pass the bar or be waived in to the state in which we want to practice.  For example, I’m licensed only in Texas, so I can’t practice in my home state of North Carolina until I either take and pass the bar there OR pay some money and get a waiver approved.  Some states do not allow waivers and others are fairly easy to waive in, like Washington D.C.  There are other ways to practice in another state, such as ad hoc, where you can get permission to practice on a particular case, usually under the supervision of a licensed attorney of that state.  Some federal issues can be handled across state lines, such as writing a will, intellectual property (my husband is a licensed patent attorney who can practice IP in any state because it is federal), disputes arriving from multiple states, and business formations (LLCs, PLLCs, LLPs, Non-profits, etc…).  You just have to make sure your attorney knows the state nuances if he or she is not licensed in your state.
3. Our legal preparations are usually general in nature and very flexible (partly why I chose this field).  Once we have earned the Juris Doctor degree (in the US), we can practice ANY law we choose and change as often as we like.  It’s usually better to find a niche and specialize in a field, but there is no obligation to do so.  Some specialties require additional bars or certifications (like IP).
4. So, you hired an attorney and—from what you can tell—you paid a lot and he or she only did a few minutes of work.  What’s up with that?  You could have done it yourself, right?  Right.  You could have.  But, would it have taken you a lot longer?  Probably.  You probably would have spent more time just trying to figure out where to start.  You paid for the attorney to complete the task using his or her wealth of knowledge and experience and that’s what was done.  Don’t expect them to call you everyday with updates or meet with you every week…unless you want to pay more.  You should know that attorneys spend time in preparation that you never see.  What’s better is they took a load off your shoulders and freed up your time to do something else.  Was the service performed?  Great.  Get over it.  Now, if you happen to have one who ran off with your money and didn’t perform the task, you should report him or her to the state bar.
5. Maybe you hired an attorney and were charged $10,000 more for a case than your homeboy was charged and you had the same circumstances.  Well, for one, the circumstances are probably not exactly the same.  Secondly, each attorney can charge anything he or she justifiably feels is necessary to complete the task.  Here, in Houston, Rusty Hardin or Dick DeGuerin may charge $100,000.00 for a case that another attorney would charge $20,000 to work on.  Rusty and Dick have been practicing law for a long time and are very experienced, they have a lot of overhead, they have a lot of prestige and connections, they have a history of winning BIG cases, they have limited time…and so forth.  An attorney, fresh out of law school, will charge less for the same case because he or she is just getting started and want the experience.  Rusty and Dick can charge hefty sums because you are paying for their expertise.  Attorneys can charge more depending on the amount of work involved.  This means, if you are a bothersome client, you may be billed more.  If you have two children and two houses in a divorce settlement, you will probably be billed per child and per house.  Each attorney has his or her own formula.
6. Do you have a friend or relative who’s an attorney?  Fantastic.  Should you call them with every single legal question that comes to your mind?  Absolutely NOT.  Maybe you’re hoping they’ll do you a “favor” for free?  (I’m exhaling deeply and shaking my head at you)  Please understand that when you go to work everyday you expect to be paid.  If your boss looked at you and asked you to work, but he wasn’t going to be able to pay you, you’d think he was crazy.  Well, folks—this is our profession.  Don’t insult your attorney friend or relative by taking up his or her precious time to be your personal legal database… unless you are going to pay.  Remember everything your friend went through to earn the privilege of having that bar card.  Do you think it’s right to use them?  Would you want them to do that to you?  Would you be ok with him or her calling you every week asking you to cut their grass or wash their dishes or type up a research paper?  I’m sure your buddy won’t mind a question or two here and there, but don’t overdo it.  You may be someone like my dad who has ALWAYS been there for me.  Yes.  Of course–I will answer any question and discuss anything legal with him his heart desires… and be flattered by it.  But, more than likely the ones who are asking all the questions are the ones who were MIA when we were hungry in law school.  Ask any attorney and he or she will probably tell you this is a BIG problem.

Since this is a blog about family life, I think #6 holds true to this category.

PLEASE NOTE:  THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG POST DOES NOT FORM AN ATTORNEY/ CLIENT RELATIONSHIP NOR DOES IT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE FOR ANY SPECIFIC LEGAL MATTERS.  IF YOU HAVE A LEGAL ISSUE, PLEASE SEEK COMPETENT LEGAL ASSISTANCE FROM AN ATTORNEY.

This picture was taken at my parents’ house in 2006.  We didn’t get around to taking pictures this year, so we have another old one to help us wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa.

I usually just say “Happy Holidays!”, in case someone doesn’t celebrate Christmas or Kwanzaa or to include Hanukkah and all other religious and cultural holidays this season.  But, since today is Christmas and Kwanza starts tomorrow, I think it’s ok.

Anywho…

When I look at this picture, I am reminded of Christmas time at my parents’ house.  My parents decorate their home annually with a nativity scene, white lights, and a couple of Christmas trees.  They put a lot of time and energy in hanging this-and-that around the house the day after Thanksgiving… and taking it down January 2nd.  Somewhere in the middle of the holiday season, they have a Christmas party where 30-40 people stop by to eat, sing carols, and spend time with each other.

I can picture us sipping eggnog and listening to Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song”, which I always thought was entitled “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire”. And, EVERY year I wonder the same thing–why can’t I find eggnog any other time of the year?!

I love Eggnog… my stomach, not so much… but, it tastes great.  Why is it only available during the Thanksgiving through New Year holiday season?   Why not July 4th or Memorial Day?  Those are holidays.  What’s up with this tradition?

Anyone else been wondering this?  Anyone have an answer?

I suppose I could goggle it to find the information like I do everything else but, I gotta get back to boxing stuff up.  We’re still moving.

Have a wonderful holiday!!!